Leggings, Tees, Sweats, Main Dining Room Not Allowed?

[Lindaru]

Hello!  First time cruiser here.  We will be on Ruby Princess May 11th through May 18th doing the inside passage of Alaska and Canada.

 

We are not planning to do more than one formal night and I will have a maxi skirt and blouse packed for that.  I have been searching and reading what threads I can find on the non-formal MDR night dress code.  "Slacks, skirt, dress" seems to be what the guide lines say for women.

The only place I plan to wear shorts is with an old tee shirt to sleep in at night in my cabin.

For during the day, I plan to wear as shown above in the subject line.  Am I going to have to change before dining at night or restrict our meals to the buffet?  I have read that it is up to the discretion of the Maitre'D to turn you away if not appropriately attired.

Trying to figure this out and it is all so confusing.

 

Thanks in advance for any help!

[c-boy]

what are "leggings" ?

[Lindaru]

Hello, C-Boy . . . an example.  I wear long shirts over them that cover my tummy.  They are similar to yoga pants without the heavy price tag.

https://www.express.com/womens-clothing/bottoms/leggings/cat1620001

 

[EatonDoolittle]

I can't say that I've ever seen anyone come to dinner in the MDR wearing workout clothes, as you are describing.

 

[JF - retired RRT]

T-shirt maybe. Leggings probably. Sweats...NO.

Ask the maitre d' or the person at the door as soon as you get on the ship. Wear one of your outfits and ask.

Safest: have a dinner time outfit (just one) and wear it when you go to dinner. No one will notice or care that you wear the same clothes every evening. It's a great way to pack light.

[Cyn874]

Leggings are not workout clothes. (Unless you're buying workout leggings but I'm guessing this is not what the OP is talking about.)

 

I see leggings worn with dressy blouses, especially if they are very long, or sometimes short dresses. Here are just two examples. I'm bringing a pair of black leggings to wear with a teal dress blouse. 

 

I think if are paring the leggings with a dressy/fancy top, you'll be fine.

 

 

Edited March 8, 2019 by Cyn874

[Baabaaa]

I’ve worn leggings in the MDR and Club Class without any problems.  I’ve also worn leggings in HAL’s MDR without a problem.  Enjoy your cruise!  🙂

[Cruise Raider]

It's not as dressy as one may assume.  Jeans without holes are even acceptable.  Leggings with a nice top, no problem.  They will draw the line at obvious sweat pants, flip flops, shorts and swimwear in the main dining room.  T-shirts and even shorts are allowed in the MRD for breakfast and lunch and on the very first and last nights at dinner, too.  You won't see many, though so you may feel out of place.  

[Lindaru]

Thanks, everyone!

I also do not wear flip flops or sandals.  I wear rubber soled deck shoes inside all of the time.  I can do the one outfit every night for the dining room, so okay.  Would having deck shoes be a problem?  I cannot walk well in hard soled shoes or high heels.

 

Thanks again!

 

[Cruise Raider]

2 minutes ago, Lindaru said:

Thanks, everyone!

I also do not wear flip flops or sandals.  I wear rubber soled deck shoes inside all of the time.  I can do the one outfit every night for the dining room, so okay.  Would having deck shoes be a problem?  I cannot walk well in hard soled shoes or high heels.

 

Thanks again!

 

 

Not at all .... deck shoes will be fine.  Be comfortable ... the cruiseline actually wants to see you have a good time.  And, we've seen where the Alaska cruises are actually a little bit more casual.  I also hate high heels.   

Alaska is my favorite itinerary ... I believe you may just fall in love with it, too.  Have a great time! 

[Lindaru]

2 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

 

Not at all .... deck shoes will be fine.  Be comfortable ... the cruiseline actually wants to see you have a good time.  And, we've seen where the Alaska cruises are actually a little bit more casual.  I also hate high heels.   

Alaska is my favorite itinerary ... I believe you may just fall in love with it, too.  Have a great time! 

 

Thank you, Cruise Raider!  Hubby was stationed in Alaska during the Vietnam war and I have never been there.  Watched some videos of the scenery from cruises on You Tube and agreed this would be the perfect thing for our 25th wedding anniversary.


 

4 minutes ago, OzCanuck said:

What’s cruise critic coming to?  A dress code question that was resolved with civility and with no reference to the old days of cruising???

 

Come on folks, pick it up!

Happy for the civility!

 

[cynbar]

I think you'll find that most people "clean up" for dinner. I think leggings will be fine in the outfits shown above, as long as they are clean and paired with a casual but nice top. Few diners will be as casual as wearing what they wore all day to tour in, or as rumpled. Now, would you be allowed in that way? Seems to be some variation from ship to ship. Only you know how comfortable you will be in you are dressed much more casually than most everyone else.

[Lindaru]

Good point, Cynbar.  Having never cruised before, I have never witnessed how dressed up versus casual people are for the evening meal.

 

[idahospud]

3 hours ago, Lindaru said:

Hello!  First time cruiser here.  We will be on Ruby Princess May 11th through May 18th doing the inside passage of Alaska and Canada.

 

We are not planning to do more than one formal night and I will have a maxi skirt and blouse packed for that.  I have been searching and reading what threads I can find on the non-formal MDR night dress code.  "Slacks, skirt, dress" seems to be what the guide lines say for women.

The only place I plan to wear shorts is with an old tee shirt to sleep in at night in my cabin.

For during the day, I plan to wear as shown above in the subject line.  Am I going to have to change before dining at night or restrict our meals to the buffet?  I have read that it is up to the discretion of the Maitre'D to turn you away if not appropriately attired.

Trying to figure this out and it is all so confusing.

 

Thanks in advance for any help!

Lindaru, this isn't dress code related, but I'm going to throw it out there in case you're interested...

I don't know how often you get down to Boise, but I'm teaching a class for first time cruisers in a couple weeks at one of the library branches. It's completely free. If you're interested I can get you more details.

 

Happy cruising - and planning!

[Lindaru]

Thank you, Idahospud!  This time of year we limit our 100 mile trip to as few as we can possibly make it.  This winter has been really bad with parts of Highway 55 closing down partially or completely here and there.  I believe it is completely open now, so hoping we can get down there to shop where there is bigger variety of things for our trip than we have up here in McCall.

 

Please do send me the details.  My officially all over the internet E-Mail is insanitysurfers at gmail dot com.

[senior lady]

Alaska is a much more relaxed type of cruising.   Ships are in port later, so people tend to just come to dinner right away.  I often wear leggings or capri's and a nice top to dinner on any cruise.  You'll be fine.  Go and enjoy.

[Lindaru]

Thank you, Senior Lady!  That was my main concern was how much time involved in doing a complete change of clothes (especially since we are just going to be walking around ports and not doing any excursion activities, so not really getting sweaty or dirty).

 

[elliair]

I've worn leggings to the MDR with a large sweater that was above the knee.  I wore nice jewelry and shoes with it, and I was comfortable and did not feel out of place.  It's almost like wearing tights.  Leggings keep your legs warm too!

Edited March 9, 2019 by elliair

[Lindaru]

Yes, Elliair . . . and the fact that mine are fleece lined makes it better yet for Alaska.

[Colo Cruiser]

1 hour ago, Lindaru said:

 

Bemis, if I have to, so do you.  Pictures or it did not happen.

That would be something that one could not unsee. Just sayin.

[Lindaru]

For sure!

 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

While I enjoy getting dressed for formal nights, I’m much more inclined on ‘smart casual’ nights to wear leggings and a nice tunic top for a cool weather cruise.  It’s pretty much like wearing tights under a dress but comfortable!  

The fleece lined ones might be too warm for indoors though. They do heat the ship reasonably well. Lol

 

As my right foot usually really hurts by the end of the day I have found nice memory foam type slip ons that are a bit dressier than deck shoes. I feel more comfortable wearing those because I think the style matches better. But I don’t think any else cares what we wear on our feet as long as we steer clear of pool side type flip flops. 

I think you’ve pick a perfect first cruise.  Check the patter every night for the next day’s activities. Princess really has some wonderful things to while sailing in this area. 

 

Enjoy!

Edited March 9, 2019 by HaveDogWillTravel

[Cruise Raider]

1 hour ago, Lindaru said:

 

Thank you, Cruise Raider!  Hubby was stationed in Alaska during the Vietnam war and I have never been there.  Watched some videos of the scenery from cruises on You Tube and agreed this would be the perfect thing for our 25th wedding anniversary.


 

Happy for the civility!

 

 

That's exactly where we spent our 25th anniversary!  Great choice if I do say so myself.  

[Lindaru]

Many thanks, HaveDogWillTravel and Cruise Raider!

[HaveDogWillTravel]

In terms of the sweats you mention, while you could get away with any style during the day you may want to have nicer ones for hanging around inside the ship. I have some nice heavy black velvet ones that I wear with a cozy sweater during the morning to get coffee or walking on the outer decks.  But I personally would not feel comfortable wearing them in MDR for breakfast or lunch or even to trivia. I think pants, jeans, slacks are more the norm.